First, congratulations to my sister-in-law, Neese (as LP calls her), who is getting sworn in as a U.S. citizen today. She is a great friend, a wonderful mother, and a patient and understanding wife. I am glad we both married into the same family and thrilled that she managed to successfully run the immigration bureaucracy gauntlet.
Now that I have the pleasantries out of the way, I want to lodge a complaint about LP's day care that made me hot under the collar (see the tie in to the post title?). Yesterday at 4:18, the Hoos called me at work, "I just had a call from Jodi [one of LP's teachers]. She has a 100.1 fever and you need to pick her up within an hour." Well, considering I leave work at 4:30 and usually pick LP up by 5:15 that wasn't going to be a problem, but ONE HUNDRED POINT ONE?! That is not a fever. That is the temperature little kids get when they run around a lot or when they are teething or upset or pretty much any time they get excited.
As I left work, I turned to my colleague Kiki and said, "If they tell me that LP can't come to school tomorrow because of this fever I am going to be pissed." Sure enough, I get to LP's school and they have two notes for me to sign - one is an incident report, telling me that another kid bit LP's hand and she has a red welt and another with the health policy telling me she can't come in for 24 hours. I was not happy and had the poor teacher call the director (one of my most favorite people ever) into the room.
"Crissy, are you kidding me? That is not a fever - did they take it with the ear thermometer? After they were playing or something? And why were they taking it in the first place? She looks fine now, was she red or holding her ears or something?" She looks at me blankly and says, "That is our policy, any fever over 100 and they have to go home and stay home. They are most contagious when they have a low-grade fever."
Brittany, a high school student that helps out in the classroom in the afternoon pipes us, "We took her temperature because I noticed her crying while she was reading a book." So, instead of picking her up and comforting her (I forgot to ask how long this was after she had been bitten, hello, maybe that is why she is CRYING), they decided to pick her up and take her temperature. Now I am really steamed. The director asks, "Well, what is her temperature now?" and holds out her hand for a thermometer. After figuring out that the classroom doesn't HAVE a thermometer on hand she stomps out of the room and returns a few minutes later with a thermometer. 99.1 in one ear, 99.2 in the other. "Okay, for today, I will let you take her temperature at home tonight and tomorrow morning. If she doesn't have a fever she can come in tomorrow. But our policy is and has always been over 100, they have to stay out."
I am relieved but still want to throttle her. I AM A GOOD MOM - IF MY KID IS SICK, I WOULDN'T SEND HER TO SCHOOL.
Welcome to the U.S., Neese. I am sorry to report that this country has a lot of morons. Fortunately, people like you help to maintain the needed majority of smart, successful, capable citizens.
3 comments:
As a daycare user, I totally feel for you! Bear's school policy at least requires that there is some other symptom, in addition to the low-grade fever (diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, etc.) because they know that kids run high temps from teething. Your kid is there because you need to work, if LP was sick, you would take off and not send her. I'm feeling you, sister!
Boy do I feel your pain - literally! This has happened to us many times and it is infuriating. I too keep LD home if she is sick and they really must consider all factors when deciding if a child is sick.
Probably the bite ... and that is enough to get steamed about to begin with!
What the hell is wrong with them? Don't they know that the ear thermometers are like soooo inaccurate? Have you ever tried taking your own temp with that, it varies from second to second!
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